davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
National Floral Emblems.

Many nations and sovereigns have had
plants and flowers as their emblems.
The rose of England became especially
famous during the War of the Roses,
after which the red and white were uni
ted, and the rose of both colors is called
the York and Lancaster; but when these
flowers first became badges of the two
houses / cannot discover. The thistle is
honored as the emblem of Scotland from
the circumstance that once upon time
a party of Danes having approached the
Scottish camp unperceived by night,
were on the point of attacking it, when
one of the soldiers trod on a thistle,
which caused him to cry out, and so
aroused the enemy The shamrock of
Ireland was held by st. Patrick to teach
the doctrine of the Trinity, and chosen
in remembrance of him. 1t is always
worn by the Irish on st. Ptt-ick's Day.
The lcek, in Wales, as national device,
has not been satisfactorily explained,
otherwise than as the result of its having
Cymric colors, green and VIII te.- Bos'
ton Budget.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
Stings of Bees and Other Insects.

? Singing insects always imfiict poi
sonous wound The instrument of a
stnging insect consists of two fine, sharp
darts, surrounded by tubular sheath,
which are connected at their bases with
a special venom sack, and, when the sting
is inserted into the flesh, these venom
glands inject their poison down the
grooved darts, and thus inoculate the
victim.
Trcatment-Many insects leave their
stings in the flesh, where they may
be detected as minute black specks.
They should be extracted by pressing a
watch key over them, which will cause
them to protrude, and then using pair
If tweezers. ..
In moderate cases, local irritation,
which may be arrested by salt or harts-
horn, is all that the wounded ones
suffer. But, if dizzy faintness be the
outcome, opiates and cordials must be
given. 1t may happen that bee OF
wasp is swallowed in taking a drink OF
water hurriedly, or in the dark, and
from the moment the sting enters the
throat, the fauces swell SO rapidly that
the patient is in immediate danger of
su1focation. A gargle of hot water and
salt should be used pending the arrival
Of physician.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
First.Class Studies at West Point.

During no year had the class found an
easy course of study, and the iirst-claSs
course was like the others in requiring
the closest attention. The class drew
strange-looking plans of fortitications;
they built theoretical bridges, and prac-
tical ones also; they slowly registered the
elements of the Spanish language, and
daily shocked the professor by their un-
Castiian accent; they discovered the
analogy between the Laws of the
Medes and Persians" and the regulations
of the Military Academy; and they
skinned over the history of the world
from its settlement by Adam to the pres
ent time They became adopts in the
manufacture of shot and shell, and all
weapons of attack and defense; they be
came deeply vcrsed in law, international,
constitutional, and military; they rode,
they marched, they studied, they drilled !;
they built parapets and miniature forts,
and then demolished them; they con-
structed pontoon bridges, spar bridges
and RATS; they would have explained to
you the minutest details in the manu-
facture of gunpowder and dynamite, or
told you just where the plans of battle
of great military leaders were defective.
In fact, they became walking encyclo-
pedias of useful military knowledge
[St. Nicholas.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
San FranciscO's Chinatown.

Chinatown is one of the first places
visited by the Fastener. The people,
their merchandise, their manner of liv-
ing, are all strange and curious, and one
finds no end of interesting things to
see and hear. The influx of eastern visi-
tors this year has created an unusual
boom in Chinese curios. The prices
asked for most of the things are twice
that of a year ago. However, if one has
enough of the trader in him, he may buy
things at his own price, for they will
bear beating down, and finally offer the
goods at the customers price before al
lowing him to leave without buying.
They are queer mixture, this product
of an old, old civilization. i San Fran.
| cisco Letter.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
The Elephant Plant.

At first this was thought to be a palm,
but differs in some important points
from the palms. 1t is given family all
by itself, which, though related to the
palm family, is the Vegetable Ivory
family" or in botanical language the
phytclcphasin, a rather long word for so
small a family. The ivory nut trees arc
found in the northern portions of South
America, along the rivers of New Gran
ada, Peru, etc, that come down from
the mountains. The trunks of the trees
rise but short distance above the sur
face, indeed are often entirely below. Its
leaves, from twenty to thirty feet or
more long form a magnificent tuft, each
leaf beautifully divided like giant
feather. The pistillate of fertile flowers
and the staminatc or infertile
flowers, are on separate trees.
These staminate flowers are
crowded on short stems, as seen in those
snake-like objects on the nearest tree.
The fertile flowers are followed by large
capsules, or fruits, as large as mans
head, very rough on the outside, and
containing about forty nuts, as large as a
full grown black walnut. The nuts
themselves have a thin, brittle crust,
when ripe, but when young are filled
with a soft pulp, which the natives cat
in that state. This hardens as the nuts
ripen, and when quite mature becomes
as hard as ivory. The nuts require no
other preparation than to knock away
the outer shells, and to gather them up.
They are sold by the hundred The
trees are sometimes to be seen in cultva-
ton, in large conservatorics, where they
are conspicuous ornaments. Il American
| A Uriculturist
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
Ruined by the Turf.

''The turf did it, madam" said the
tramp, engulting a slab of home made
pie with the reckless air of man who
has outlived hope; 'believe me, have
seen better days, but the turf ruined
me-"
"You lost your money on the races,
theng' said the woman.
"Not exactly" he replied in respon-
sive manner. II contracted rheumatism
sleeping on the ground for five or six
consecutive years"
And dropping piece of the under
crust to the ground with dull, heavy
thud, he went his way and she saw him
no more Burdette.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
Boxing the Ears.

DR.. Samuel Sexton has contributed an
article to the Medical Record on the sub
ject of boxing the ears. He has upon
his records fifty-one cases in which the
ear has been injured by blows of the
open hand or fist. Of these, thirty-one
were males and twenty females. OF the
males, thirteen had been boxed upon the
right car, thirteen upon the left, and
three upon both ears. One was kicked
by companion upon the left ear while
bathing, and the right ear of another
was injured by having the head violent
ly squeezed between the hands of an
other person. OF the females, fourteen
were struck upon the left ear and six
upon the right. Five of the women
were assaulted by their husbands. Of
the entire number, eight were boxed in
play, four by school-teachers, two by
parents, and one, fervent
lover, by his sweetheart. Several
cases occurred among pugilists, and
others were due to assaults and brawis.
The nature of the injuries varied to a
considerable degree. One had infam-
nation of the ear, with suspicion of in
tracranial trouble. He had had running
of the ear for twelve years, following a
blow upon that organ. This patient
subsequently died of brain disease. In
another case the ear became infamed,
and the hearing was very much impaired.
In still another, the patient was slapped
by his father upon the left ear. Imme-
diate pain and deafness followed, with
bloody discharge from the ear. 1t was
three months before this case recovered.
The dangers to which DR.. Sexton calls
attention are so grave that parents,
teachers, and others should never pun
ish those committed to their charge by
boxing the car Science.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
An Odd Clock.

A clock recently patented in France
is in imitation of tambourine, on the
parchment head of which is painted a
circle of flowers, corresponding to the
hour figures of ordinary dials. On ex-
animation, two bees, one large and the
other small are discovered crawling
among the flowers. The small bee runs
rapidly from one flower to another, COM
pleting the circle in an hour, while the
large one takes twelve hours to complete
the circuit The parchment surface is
unbroken and the bees simply laid upon
it, but two magnets connected with the
clockwork inside the tambouriue move
Just under the membrane, and the in.
sects, which are of iron, follow them.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04

1t is generally conceded that there are
more cranks in Washington in proper
ton to its population than in any other
city in the United States, writes corre-
spondent of the Baltimore Sun. None
have a better opportunity to judge OF
this fact than those who are engaged in
newspaper work here. There are several
positively dangerous female cranks who
hang about the departments pursuing
imaginary claims. The wild, hungry
look in their eyes establishes their iden-
tity at glance. As long as their ram
bling, disconnected uttcrances are toler-
ated they appear harmless, but when
they are treated with apparent indiffer-
cnce they become violent, and consider
able tact is necessary to pacify them.
How these poor creatures manage to ex-
ist is a mystery, as they have worn the
same old shabby clothes for many sea-
sons, and their faces have a pinched and
half starved look, while their eyes at
times seem almost starting from their
sockets. Absolute despair will sooner
or later take possession of these uufortu-
mates, and there is no telling what the
result may be-
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
Brief Snake Stories.

. William WidiCk and Sam Smith of
Bethany, H., killed 100 rattlcsnakcs at
one scancc.
The dog of George Marion of Rcnssel-
aer, Ind, began barking at hole in
the ground. Marion dug down
and killed 113 blue racers and 81 bull
snakes.
Mrs, Emma Gcphart of Tuscola found
a blue racer coiled under her pillow
when she went to retire. Assistance
was called, and the reptile was killed.
Farmer Whites reaper picked up an
immense rattlesnake and hurled it into
his lap. He knocked it on the head
with the but of his whip and drove on.
This was at Bloomington, Ill,
Milk and whiskey saved the life of the
little son of Liking Valley of Carlisle
Penn, who was bitten on the lips by a
copperhead while hunting hens eggs
He suffered frightful spasms, and
his face was swollen beyond recogni-
ton.
A Goldendale CIV. T.) rattlesnake
kept 16-year-old boy prisoner in a
small tree for four hours. The boy had
stoned the snake and then sought refuge
in the tree. His failure to appear at
dinner caused a search to be made fol
him.
A black snake eight feet long sprang
at Karl Kramer, near Richmond, Va,
and coiled itself tightly around his neck,
nearly suffocating him. He staggered
up to a large rock and beat the
head of the snake against it until the
snake died.
A Murphy On. c. colorcd woman
awoke in the night to find huge snake
coilcd about her neck. Instead of faint
ing she grabbed the reptile, flung i
against the wall with all her force, ant
went to sleep again. Daylight revealed
one of the largest dead rattlcrs ever seel
in that vicinity.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
HUMOROUS.
A stowaway-The glutton.

A stowaway-The glutton.
Lost at sea--The sight of land.
The writing masters business is flour
ishing,
The hardest kind of pork is made OF
pig-iron.
This is a bad time to buy thermome-
tcrs-they are so high.
The last charge at Gettysburg was
made by the hotel-kcepers.
"Thc New York girls practice smiling
before glass" The men smile behind
it.
The musical composition "Warblings
at Eve' is the first intimation that Adam
was singer.
The susceptible youth is like mos
quito. There is little hope for him after
he gets mashed.
From the records of recent college
graduates it is believed the letters B. A.
indicate Boss Athlete.
Fish culture will never reach its high
est form of usefulness until fish are
taught how to bite so that they may be
hooked.
1t IS estimated that there is one COW
to every four persons in this country.
The young lady in the red shawl always
gets her share.
One of the most mournful things in
nature must always be the inevitable
tendency of the young man in love to
imagine himself poet.
A man recently astonished his wife by
coming home with two black eyes.
'NWhat have you been doing?" said she.
getting pair of socks" he replied.
Farmers in the summer time don't
need to buy the funny papers. All they
have to do is to 90 out and watch the
city boarder trying to swing the scythe.
''Prcvious engagements" are one OF
the resources of civilization. They are
a beneficial invention to enable public
men to avoid getting into troublesome
places.
Doctor" said Mr. Timid, II am very
fond of the water, but l don't want to
take cold; what shall l do9" Don't
want to take hold? Then let go. Dol
1arn 'alf, please"
The boy who has been in swimming
under the blazing sun may be distin-
guished by his tendency to keep away
from the back of his shirt as much as
possible.
A New England man has just had d
patent granted to him for 'an electric
switch" The particulars are not given,
but it looks as if the future of the small
boy was discouraging.
Wives love indulgent husbands,
And we've sometimes heard of such;
Yet women maintain
They've right to complain
When husband indulges too much.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
Loves Flower.

II were blind and thou shouldst enter
Fer so softly in the room,
should know it,
should feel it,
Something subtle would reveal it,
And glory round the centre
That would tighten up the gloom,
And my heart would surely guide me,
With Loves second sight provide me,
One amid the crowd to find,
If were blind!
If were deaf, and thou hadst spoken
Ere thy presence had known,
should know it,
should feel it,
Something subtle would reveal it,
And the seal at once be broken
BY Loves liquid undertone.
Deaf to others, stranger voices,
And the worlds discordant noises
Whisper, wheresoe'er thou art,
Twill reach thy heart,
If l were dead and thou shouldst venture
Near the coffin where lay,
] should know it,
l should feel it,
Something subtle would reveal it,
And no look of mildeSt censure
Rest upon that face of clay.
Shouldst thou kiss me, conscious flashes
OF Loves fire through Deaths cold ashes
Would give back the cheek its red,
If were dead!
1.-THE Century.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04

To follow out the line of Il canal is to
see continuous picturc--now it is a
blue ribbon through the green Of the
fields, again a small village is passed, the
brown hulls and queer sails of the canal
boats are continually composing, and at
its close you glide into aslccpy old town,
every inch of which is an artistic treasure,
dcepened and hamonizcd, as are all its
colors, by the humidity of the atmos-
phere. With the exception that they
are broader, the rivers present similar
picturesque qualities to the canals-thc
same low-lying banks, fringed with
willows, the same boats; indeed, one
mouth of the Rhine is but canal in
Holland. Near the sea, on some of the
more important rivers, singularly
beautiful effect is produced by
the large cities upon them, with ship
ping lying at their quays, and the
broad, mirror-lke surface Of the water
rejecting and doubling all the beauties
of color present. How blue is this water,
repeating the cloud-forms in the skies,
thrown into prominence by the vivid
green on the banks aud the reds and
browns of the cities in the background
iceland, surrounded by large rivers
which seek the sea through it in myriads
of canals and bitches, gives a peculiarly
Dutch landscapc-the roads, banked up
crossing the streams by bridges ,whost
arch, high enough to permit the'passagC
of a canal-hoat, often frames the mos
charming bits; windmill few ole
houses irregular in line, the brown-yellov
of their roof-tilc and bricks enhanced b,
the glad blue of the sky and sunlight
green of the fields. LScribner.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
Medical Virtues of Onions.

A mother writes: ''Once week in
variably, and it generally when we had
cold meat minced, gave the children a
dinner which was hailed with delight
and looked forward to; this was dish
of boiled onions. The little things
knew not that they were taking the best
medicines for expclling what most chill
dren suffer from-worms. Mine were
kept free by this remedy alone. Not
only boiled onions for dinner, but chives
also were they encouraged to eat with
their bread and butter, and for this pur
pose they had tufts of chives in their lit
tie gardens. 1t was medical man who
taught me to eat boiled onions as a
specific for cold in the chest. He did
not know at the time, till told him,
that they were good for anything else"
The above appeared in the Lancaster
Penn.) New Era, and having fallen
under the eye of an experienced physi-
clan of that county, he writes as fol-
lows:
"The above ought to be published in
letters of gold and hung up beside the
table, so that the children could read
it and remind their parents that no
family ought to be without onions the
whole year round. Plant old onions
in the fall, and they will come up at
least three weeks earlier in the spring
than by spring planting. Give children
of all ages few of them raw, as soon as
they are fit to be eaten; do not miss
treating them with a mess of raw onions
three or four times week. When they
get too large, or too strong to be cater
raw, then boil or roast them. During
unhealthy seasons, when diphtheria ant
like contagious diseases prevail, onions
ought to be eaten in the spring of the veal
at least once week. Onions are invigor
ating and prophylactic beyond descrip
ton. Further, l challenge the medica
fraternity, or any mother to point out {
place where children have died from
diphtheria or scarlatina anginosa, etc,
where onions were freely used"
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
What the Baby was Thinking.

Mrs. Fogg: As came by the station
just now, saw a baby in its carriage.
1t was amusing to see the little thing
watch the locomotive as it rushed past,
and until it was out of sight. wonder
what the little darling was thinking Of?
Fogg: That depends. If it was girl,
she was thinking, Splendid" ''just too
lovely for anything" or something of
that sort. If it was boy, he might
have been mentally constructing smoke
consumer or patent coupler, but proba-
bly, was considering whether it was best
to invest in the roads common or pre-
ferred stock, its first, second or third
mortgage bonds, its equipment sevens,
land-grant cights, or car-trust thirteens,
- Boston Transcript.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
Negro Mortality.

The death of the negro hereabouts is
an event of such rare occurrence that
some people have formed a notion that
the mortality rate among the whites is
greater than that among the blacks.
That this is a fallacious idea is proved
by southern statistics. In Charleston
the average of the last three years has
been: Whites, 21.30 per thousand; ne
groes. 43.4s, or more than double: in
Savannah, 1i.63 and 3S. 10; in Memphis,
1856 and 1916, respectively In
Charleston the mortality was four times
as great among negro children under
five years Of age as among white child
ren. Utica Observer.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04

Iratc citizcn-Scc, here, sir, that land
you sold to me is under water half the
time.
Real estate man-Ies, supposed YOU
wanted it for a fish pond. Don't see
what you bought it for if you didn't,
Great snakes! Why didn't you say
it wasn't fit to build on? How was l to
know the Missouri River had a mortgage
on it?n
81 stated the fact that it was very low
land in my advertisement.
''Ncvcr said a word about it.n
"Oh, you're mistaken. 1t was in
great big type: Land for Sale. Very
Low. - Omaha World
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
A Baby as Freight.

A Springfield, Ohio, mother checked
her baby carriage to a neighboring town
where she was about to visit, and forgot
to remove the child from it. Just be-
fore the train started she missed her
baby, and after a frantic and fruitless
search suddenly remembered where she
had left it. She got to the baggage car
just in time to get the infant as it was
being loaded on the train in its carriage.
Il Cleveland Leader.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
A Stony Glare.

''Pa, y inquired Bobby, who was read
ing the paper, ''what is astony glareP"
at is the expression which comes
over a mans face at church, explained
the old gentleman, "when the contribu-
ton box is held before him and he has
neglected to provide himself with any
small change. y New York Sun.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
Constantly Changing.

Little people often have severe strug-
giles in mastering the primary facts of
life. There was once tiny lad-and the
story is so old that he must now be a
man-who, on being asked his age, re-
piled, wearily, "Oh, they keep changing
it so fast, can't tell! Once they said
twas three, and then twas four, and
then in little while they called it five
and now don't know anything about
it, Youths Companion.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
He'll Teach Her.

81 asked Miss Tittleback to marry
me" remarked Tompkins, "and she re-
fused me. But I'll teach her."
"Why, what are you going to do about
itw
''rll teach her to treat me in that way.
I'll never ask her again. ~ New York
SUM-
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
The Wrong Result.

'Ma," said Bobby, shave I been a
good boy to-day2n
Eyes, Bobby, and l am very proud of
you"
Well, will you do me favor, mag'
eff it's reasonable, Bobby. What is
it?''
LET me go to bed tonight without
saying my prayers. y Life.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
No GOOseberries,

"Waiter," said gentleman in the
dining car, shave you any gooseberry
piea'
'No, sab; hain't carryin' any dis
yeah, sah."
"Why is that2'
'Well, you see, sab, dey's scace dis
seasum. Las winter was SO cole and
stormy dat it was mighty tough on do
geese. y Washington Star.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
A Secretive Disposition.

Her mother and his mother-in-law-
He's brute, my dear, and don't cry.
Save you to him because he said he knew
the secret of making you happy.
Daughter Well, he's kept his secret
admirably.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
An Exploded Theory,

Fond Father-Talk of college not
fitting young man for earning living
Just as soon as Johnny graduated he OBJ
tanned splendid position.
Friend-What was it2
Fond Father-First base.-TLife.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04

The Indian funcral--it is a solemn,
impressive, interesting ceremony. The
remains of a child, we will suppose, are
brought in. The mourners are still.
They point up to the Great Spirit, down
to the bad spirit, They hand round the
remains. They chant on their knees,
later standing up--they lay bows and
arrows and other implements on the re-
mains--the chanting continues. The
body is placed on scaifolding, where it
decays in time. The skull is then
washed and cleaned. 1t is placed in Il
circle with other skulls, and in time it
disappears. The spirit is now thought to
have crossed the wide river to the
happy hunting ground beyond Boston
Globe.
The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04

HrEntered at tho Post.oface At South
Londonderry, ~ second .olass matter.